News has been trickling out slowly since the end of E3 and what follows is all the info I could find along with some thoughts and speculation. Incidentally, EA has once again pulled down the E3 demo from YouTube (although here's a new link for it), but I'm sure it will go up again soon. It's an odd insistence from the company given that it's a less comprehensive and story-filled demo than the old one PAX last year that you can watch at your leisure.
Freddie Prinze Jr. was announced as the voice of Iron Bull; I quite like what I've heard of the voice he's using for the character. Much like Claudia Black (Morrigan) Bioware gave Prinze his first chance in the VO business (with Mass Effect).
Allan Schumacher explained to Game On why DAI won't have a playable demo (unlike the previous installments of the franchise):
[He] explained that putting together a demo would take time and resources away from the main development of the game. With that in mind, the task of completing Dragon Age: Inquisition itself has been given prominence over taking people off of the project in order to create a demo. [He] clarified that work on both of the series’ previous entries were completed in time to allow the team to build their demos. With Dragon Age: Inquisition, however, the developer is in a much different situation as there is still work to do before the game’s launch. Before the title releases later this fall, fans will get a chance to setup their game save early as Bioware plans to launch the Dragon Age Keep before the game comes out. The Keep will let both new and returning player dictate how past events transpired in the recent history of the Dragon Age universe. The web-based app will be used exclusively to determine player decisions from the first two games in the series as opposed to imported existing save files.
This doesn't bother me, but I can see it as a source of criticism prior to release. What's interesting is that the game seems to need every last second for completion, with less time for such promotional material as before--given that DAI was originally slatted as a 2013 release, one wonders what elements specifically has the group on such a tight schedule.
Mike Laidlaw confirmed that the Skyrim-like compass that was visible in the Crestwood demo has been removed (it was not to be found in the E3 demo), saying:
Wasn’t working for us, so we changed to a radar-style. Better for battles.
I wasn't a fan of the compass in Skyrim so I think it's a good choice.
Speaking of Laidlaw, when pressed on Twitter to confirm that there were more romances than Dragon Age 2 including the DLC (Sebastian, Tallis) he backpedaled:
Remind me to never use numbers when discussing the game. They are debated endlessly. Pretend I said, "lots."
Does this mean there are less or the same? It's not conclusive, since Laidlaw may not remember the exact numbers off the top of his head, but it's worth keeping in mind. DA2 tops out at 6 romances (Isabella, Merrill, Anders, Fenris, Sebastian, and Tallis), while for DAI we currently know Cassandra, Cullen, and Sera (for female inquisitors) are available.
I speculated back in May that Queen Anora would appear in the game and Mika Simmons (her voice actor) has confirmed that's the case.
Cameron Lee told Angry Joe that there are currently 20 dragons (high dragons) in DAI. Lee also revealed (to PlayStation Access) that there's a mount that looks like a cross between a nug and a water buffalo (!), which joins the lizard referenced at E3, the default horse, and the announced mounts from the deluxe edition (red hart (not a halla) and bog unicorn). From there he discussed the crafting system:
Generally how it works is you have kind of like a template, and that template could be for armour, or it could be for weapons or other pieces of equipment. You can insert different metals, different materials, into the different slots of that template and that will keep the shape of the item, but it will change the physical characteristics of that item--so it will change the look, it will change the stats, so you can really customise how you look and how you're building your character.
Lee also discussed the World Master system in detail, although it reiterates things we've heard before (the emergent system will reflect the changes you make in the environment). He also implied that Alistair's appearance in the game depends on your choices, so it does look like his death (if that's what happened in your game) would carry over into DAI.
I have a few thoughts on locations: I've been second-guessing gamermd83's Kal'Hirol theory lately and while it's still viable (and interesting), it's worth pointing out that the primary evidence for it (the waterfront shots and the Cadash family background) are easily transported to Orzammar--it's near both Lake Calenhad and the Waking Sea, and survivors of the Cadash family reside there. Both possibilities remain speculative, but given the known geography of DAI thus far (see below) Amaranthine (Kal'Hirol) seems a bit isolated from the rest of the action as opposed to the confirmed Frostback Pass (which might possibly include Orzammar itself).
A couple of confirmed areas cannot be definitively put on the map yet (the Southern Desolation and the Crestwood Hills), but we can speculate on where they are. With the former, the name tells us it's in the south and given that southern Ferelden is filled with the Kocari Wilds and Brecilian Forest, that kingdom doesn't enter the equation. There's not much room in southern Orlais for it, but I'd guess it's sandwiched between the Western Approach and the Dales (perhaps part of the Deauvin Flats). As for Crestwood, we know it's in a hilled area of Fereldan (as confirmed in last year's demo). These are the options for hills: the flanks of the Frostback Mountains; the Southron Hills (which has Lothering on one side and the Brecilian Forest on the other), and The Coastlands. Given that there are huge mountains seen in the demo I'd wager it's near the Frostback's.
With ten locations (regions) confirmed, but only eight revealed thus far, it will be interesting to see where else the Inquisition will roam. Other than Halamshiral (not yet specifically attached to a region) there's no significant urban area, so a city might be one such; it's also possible the Fade, the Deep Roads, or a thaig might be one of the areas (I'm on the fence with the Fade being one--will we truly be able to explore it? Doesn't quite fit the MO of the Inquisition).
A point about the size of areas is worth emphasizing. We know from the demo's this year and last (here's the link for E3) that the Crestwood Hills region is bigger than all of Dragon Age 2 combined (apparently 15 minutes in-game to walk from one end to the other), while the Hinterlands are bigger than all of Dragon Age: Origins combined. Interestingly, the latter is described as medium-sized, which suggests that Crestwood is (relatively) small and that there are much bigger environs yet to be revealed (we know the Western Approach is bigger than Crestwood, again via the old demo, but otherwise there are no specifics).
Jenni Lada at Technology Tell is pleased with DAI's diversity, which is worth highlighting in an industry heavily (and rightly) criticised for its default approach.
It's early (the game is still Alpha), but I wanted to touch on current (albeit rare) criticism of the game from people like Phil Owen at Game Front. His critique is not particularly interesting, but I picked it as a fuller version of the what I thought Jesse Cox was referring too when he was Tweeting from E3 (it turns out, from his rambling explanation on the Co-Optional Podcast, that Jesse's main complaint is that the effects don't look next gen to him--comparing them to Skyrim). Back to Owen, he feels DAI is too generic in its approach--he wants more uniqueness (using DA2 as an example, interestingly enough; something echoed by MrBtongue months ago). This argument makes a false equivalency--the fact that a game shares traits with others (he compared it to the plot of the Elder Scrolls' Oblivion's) doesn't mean they are the same thing (it's like comparing The Lord of the Rings to the Dragonlance trilogy--they might both be fantasy trilogies, but as works of literature they couldn't be more different). Even if DAI was self-consciously imitating another game, it's execution of the plot is what matters. Owens' is also assuming uniqueness is required for something to be good (or better), and there's simply no justification for that. Uniqueness has nothing to do with quality, but a lot of critics who become over saturated by their exposure to the market are desperate for new experiences and occasionally mistake "new experience for me" as "good". It's not a surprise that the Dragon Age franchise went with a reliable, high-fantasy plot given the withering criticism they suffered for the less traditional DA2. This may be self-evident, but it's worth keeping in mind when serious reviews begin in October.
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
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